LILY BEDS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 263, 4 August 1939, Page 16

LILY BEDS

Need For Other Plants The whole beauty of a lily scheme is /lost when the stems rise starkly from the ground, bare, unsightly, the lovely flowers topping them incongruously. The lily cannot supply its own foil; is entirely at your mercy in this respect; so if you have a lily bed, or a.re planning one, arrange for an association of plants which will ensure a happy concealment of the stems. A certain amount of care is required in this connection. The association must be mutually beneficial. It is no good growing with the lilies plants which dislike the conditions they approve. Similarly, it would be folly to associate the lilies with rampant-growing, greedy-ro'oting plants which would deprive them of nourishment. And, again, the charm and beauty of the lilies must not be “shouted down” by competition with loud and brassy colours. The best possible scheme is to plant lilies along with rhododendrons and azaleas. Both like the same type of soil, and if the dwarfer shrubs are chosen thev will not overgrow’ the lilies. Of course, taller shrubs can serve as background. ‘ . Veronicas associate well with lilies, pale lavender and lilac varieties being sufficiently subdued not to detract from the lily blooms. Lavender makes a good companion. There can 'be no objection 'to the nee of dwarf berberises, daphne mezereum and 'Hypericums as lily stem concealers, while hardy ferns and ornamental grasses also serve admirably.